


Remembrances

by milleniumfxlcon



Category: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 12:13:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14852540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milleniumfxlcon/pseuds/milleniumfxlcon
Summary: Qi'ra learns how to become the deadliest piece on the board, and Han finds that dreams aren't all they seem in the years before they meet again.





	Remembrances

#### THEN, CORELLIA SPACEPORT

She drops the vial into the slot with trembling hands. The door opens. He guides her forward, a steady step ahead of her. She can hear their footsteps drawing nearer. She holds tighter to his arm, a nervous wreck compared to his compelling confidence. A hand grabs hers and yanks hard. She keeps her eyes on his, not daring to look back as she is dragged back from safety. She tells him to run. He hammers on the glass, a futile, desperate attempt to save her from the inevitable.

“I’ll come back, I promise!” The boy yells through the glass, his voice distorted.

She yells a reply, only to realise he cannot hear her. With each step, he vanishes further from sight, until the boy she loves is but a speck in the distance. Her voice is hoarse from screaming his name, now replaced with a new fear.

“Shouldn’t have run away,” her captor sneers, throwing her in the back of a transport and locking the door.

Her hands scrape against the hard floor as she sinks to her knees, glancing out at a future she will never have. Her fist is surprisingly, still clenched. With trembling hands, Qi’ra forces her fist open, seeing that damned pair of silver dice leaving bloody imprints on her palm. A small smile spreads across her wilted features, enough to get her through this night at least. She lets out a long, cynical laugh, chasing the darkness away. If there’s anyone that can survive a galaxy as cruel as this one, it’s Han. 

The transport comes to a stop outside the very place she tried to run away from, rough hands forcing her deeper into the den as curious onlookers watch from their hiding places. She takes a long breath, remembering the pure exhilaration evading Proxima’s thugs in the landspeeder. She does not speak, not even as the alien throws her worst insults, the only hint of emotion a defiant smirk mirroring Han’s. As the first blow lands, she realises she is truly alone now, with no one left to defend her. The hits continue until she falls at last, unconscious, blood trickling from her forehead. 

This time, the story has a different ending. She drops the vial into the slot with trembling hands. The door opens. He guides her forward, a steady step ahead of her. She can hear their footsteps drawing nearer. She holds tighter to his arm, a nervous wreck compared to his compelling confidence. He pushes her forward just as their pursuers catch up to them, the door closing in those bastards’ faces. For the first time in days, Qi’ra allows herself to smile. They share a long embrace, and he flashes her that _damned_ grin. They walk hand in hand towards a waiting shuttle-

The dream slips through her fingers as her heartbeat quickens. She tries to force her eyes shut, but they open anyway. A dull ache courses through her body as she releases a soft groan. She cannot bring herself to speak. _So much for luck, Han,_ she muses, forcing herself to sit up, a lone figure in a dark room. She holds the pair of silver dice closer to her chest, willing his familiar voice to fill the room with sarcastic banter. The silence stretches across the small room, threatening to engulf her in it. 

_There was once a girl who wanted a future outside Corellia and a boy who longed to fly; but only one could see the stars._

#### NOW, DIADEM SQUARE, CORONET CITY

The rain battered her soaked outfit as she hid behind a pillar, heart pounding against her ribcage. _Great_ , she sighed, _Way to go, Qi’ra. You lost the shipment. Proxima will kill you._ Her eyes searched for a way out as the young woman darted to yet another alley, evading the foul alien’s enforcers. Think. What would Han do? She glanced around desperately, the start of a plan forming in her mind. Hopping onto one of the city’s trains before the thugs saw her, Qi’ra held her breath, whispered a prayer to a pair of silver dice for luck and closed her eyes. The train pulled out of the station, and she allowed herself to breathe. Now a shivering mess dripping rainwater on the plush seats, Qi’ra dared a glance up, seeing a man in a suit staring right into her eyes. She ignored him, naturally. Creepers were normal in a place such as Corellia, and she doubted his intentions were charitable.

“What’s a girl like you doing so far away from home?” The man raised an eyebrow, putting down his book. “You look like you could use some help, darling.”

_Damn_ , he was shameless. Qi’ra kept silent, her eyes darting to the window. She instantly regretted it, drawing the blinds shut. She could hear the bloodthirsty howls of the hounds now that she was aware of their presence, holding her breath a little too tight. 

“I see you’re in a bit of a fix,” Dryden Vos smirked, leaning back in his seat. “Lost Proxima’s shipment, didn’t you?” He chuckled to himself, now surveying the girl with amused interest. “She’ll kill you if she finds you, but I’m sure you already know that. I have an offer.”

She merely nodded, waiting for Han to show up out of nowhere and bring her along with him to whatever adventure he had planned. Maybe this time, her fantasy would become a reality. A minute passed with nothing, just the gentle patter of raindrops against the train carriage, and the sounds of shouts getting nearer. _Han isn’t coming this time._

“What’s your price?” Qi’ra countered, still hesitant about the man. She had been in this life long enough to know that charity was nonexistent, and everything demanded some form of payment. What was she willing to give up for her life? It scared her then that she had no answer to that question.

“If I save you,” Dryden smiled, “you have to join Crimson Dawn." A pause. "Oh, come on, we’re not that bad. It’s better than being killed by a spineless alien, don’t you agree?” He knew what her answer would be. She just needed the push in the right direction. “Better hurry up, Qi’ra.” A loud thump sounded above them. “I don’t think that’s whoever you’re waiting for.”

She glanced up at the ceiling, and back at the vein-faced man. Neither of these options were particularly good ones. “I’m sorry, Han,” she whispered, lifting her chin to face the crime lord. “I’ll take you up on that offer.”

The passenger next to her took her arm as another blasted a hole through the roof; it was clear that this was all carefully orchestrated, and she was the target. The man had vanished, leaving her to be helped up by what she assumed were Crimson Dawn grunts. When she dared looked up, she was in the air now, clinging on to a cable as it was being hoisted into a- yacht?

In all her life, Qi’ra had never seen such a vessel. It seemed too fine for combat, but yet looked as if it had been through plenty. She let out a stunned gasp as her shoes hit polished marble, recoiling from the surface in shock. This was not a dream. Somehow, she had found her way out of Proxima’s control. _Told you I could do it, Han_ , she smiled, not noticing as the mercenaries ushered her into an opulent office. Sitting behind the desk was the same man from earlier, only this time, he seemed much more sinister.

“My name is Dryden Vos,” the man began, a predator’s smirk on his features. “And now, you owe Crimson Dawn a great debt. Let’s hope you can repay it.” His gaze met hers, daring her to object. 

“Let’s hope saving me wasn’t a complete waste of your resources,” Qi’ra replied, returning the smile. “Or I’d imagine you’d be in debt to someone else,” she raised an eyebrow. She would play his game, and wait for the right moment to slither out from his grasp. She had found her way out of one prison, but she was beginning to think she had exchanged it for another. 

As the yacht streaked across the stars, she stared down at the Corellia for what might be the last time, holding on to the pair of silver dice, and let Han Solo go.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So after seeing Solo, I was curious about plenty of things that the movie didn't have time to explain, and so, this is an imagined version of what might have happened. I'm a little new to this, and I'd gladly appreciate feedback :)


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